Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10MONTERREY9
2010-01-12 23:01:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Monterrey
Cable title:  

THE RISE OF THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION IN NUEVO LEON

Tags:  PHUM ECON SOCI MX 
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DE RUEHMC #0009/01 0122301
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 122301Z JAN 10
FM AMCONSUL MONTERREY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4178
INFO RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 5262
RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEHMC/AMCONSUL MONTERREY 9809
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MONTERREY 000009 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM ECON SOCI MX
SUBJECT: THE RISE OF THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION IN NUEVO LEON

MONTERREY 00000009 001.2 OF 002


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MONTERREY 000009

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM ECON SOCI MX
SUBJECT: THE RISE OF THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION IN NUEVO LEON

MONTERREY 00000009 001.2 OF 002



1. (U) Summary. During the past three decades, Mexico has seen
an increase in the migration of indigenous people to the more
urban areas of the country for economic reasons and Nuevo Leon
has seen a sharp increase in the number of migrants to the
state. Along with the rise in populations with distinct
cultures, languages, and traditions come inherent difficulties
such as cultural discrimination, lack of access to government
services, and harassment. A comprehensive multi-sectional
approach is needed to address the problem; only time will tell
whether the Nuevo Leon state government has appropriately
configured its bureaucratic resources in search of the solution.
End Summary.




2. (U) According to the National Institute of Statistics and
Geography (INEGI),in 1895, 25.9% of Mexico's total national
population consisted of indigenous people. This figure
decreased to 10.2% in 1930 and was as low as 4.3% in 1960.
However, since then, the population has risen. In 1994, it was
7.4% and 10.5% in 2000. Mexico's Human Development Index for
2000 finds that there were 10.3 million indigenous people of a
total Mexican population of 97.5 million. The majority of
indigenous people predominately reside in the southern part of
the country. Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Veracruz states have the
largest populations. However, migration to other areas, such as
Nuevo Leon, has been an increasing phenomenon ever since the
1970s with the industrialization and expansion of the service
sector. Since 1995, there has been a stark increase in
migration to urban areas of the country. Indigenous people
began arriving, attracted by the economic boom in these regions.





3. (U) The INEGI statistics reveal that while there were 787
indigenous language speakers in Nuevo Leon in 1970, by 2005 this
total had risen to 29,538. However, the National Commission for
the Development of Indigenous Villages (CDI) conducted its own
study using different criteria and determined that the
indigenous population in Nuevo Leon in 2000 was actually 30,051.
The 2005 figure from CDI estimates the number of indigenous
people in Nuevo Leon to be 59,174, which is 1.4% of the total
state population. Unlike the INEGI study that classified
indigenous people as only those speaking an indigenous language,

the CDI study took into account other sectors of the population.
It accounted for children 0-4 years old who do not yet speak,
non-speakers of indigenous languages who nonetheless identify as
indigenous, and indigenous people who did not participate in the
census such as domestic servants living outside of their homes
(living with their employers instead). This gives a more
realistic figure for the number of indigenous people living in
the state.




4. (U) The indigenous people living in Nuevo Leon come from
primarily 6 major indigenous groups: the Nahuas and Tenek of the
Huasteca Region, the Zapotecos and Mixtecos from Oaxaca, the
Otomies from Queretaro, and the Mazahuas from Mexico State. The
Nahuas and Tenek hail from the Huasteca Region of San Luis
Potosi, Veracruz, and Hidalgo. They have chosen the
agricultural fields and urban centers of Nuevo Leon to relocate.
They are mainly young, single women. 85-90% work in domestic
services. They live in the mostly wealthy zones such as San
Pedro, Monterrey, and Guadalupe. The Zapotecos come from
Oaxaca, are primarily married, and migrated to Nuevo Leon with
their families. The Otomies come from Queretaro and are
generally the least educated and live congregated with one
another. They are married with families and principally work in
the commercial sector. The vast majority of Mixtecos live in
Juarez, Nuevo Leon in the Hector Caballero colony. The Mixtecos
also originate from Oaxaca and mainly work as domestic servants.
Approximately half are married. Finally, the Mazahuas come
from the State of Mexico. They principally earn money as street
vendors.




5. (U) The indigenous people who relocate arrive with various
disadvantages and face cultural differences. They have
difficulty maneuvering the governmental system and cannot take
advantage of institutional support systems and public services
such as healthcare and education due to language problems,
illiteracy, racism, ignorance of their rights, and vulnerability
to police abuse, extortion, and crime. There is lack of
judicial processes and legal protection of indigenous workers.
It is difficult for them to obtain houses and legal residency as
well. They have civil registration problems and no translation
services available to them. Moreover, institutional violence
and abuse of power is prevalent against ambulatory vendors and
domestic servants.

MONTERREY 00000009 002.2 OF 002






6. (U) PolOff spoke to Dr. Severine Durin, the coordinator of
the Indigenous Migration Project of Northeast Mexico and author
of several publications relating to indigenous populations in
Monterrey. According to Durin, all of the municipalities of
Nuevo Leon are reporting second-generation births to indigenous
peoples, with the exception of Juarez. This indicates that the
migration of indigenous people is not a recent phenomenon. In
all of the municipalities, except for upper-class San Pedro, the
majority of indigenous people have lived in Nuevo Leon since at
least 1995.




7. (U) The nature of employment found in Nuevo Leon is an
indicator of the gender imbalance. The vast majority of
indigenous people find work in domestic services, a sector of
employment that is traditionally female. Men work in labor,
factories, gardens, and agricultural work. As indicated by Dr.
Durin's research, of the 9,809 employed indigenous people in the
greater Monterrey municipal area, 4,201 (42.8%) work in the
domestic service sector. The next highest area of employment
are factory and construction workers with 1,083 (11%),and 798
(8.1%) in sales and commercial services. The remaining sectors
are food preparation, machine operators, office/school/hospital
services, street vendors, and laborers or helpers.




8. (U) PolOff attended the "Workshop for the Awareness of
Indigenous Matters for Government Officials of Nuevo Leon State"
on December 10-11, 2009. The event was organized by the Nuevo
Leon State Human Rights Commission (CEDH),the National
Commission for the Development of Indigenous Villages (CDI),and
the Secretary of Social Development for the Nuevo Leon State
Government. Many government sectors were in attendance,
including various municipal police forces, the Housing
Institute, the Cultural House, the State Institute for Women,
and government agencies representing education, immigration, and
the judiciary sectors.




9. (U) Comment. While the workshop's principal goal was to
promote awareness of the plight of the indigenous population in
Nuevo Leon, the event's sponsors also saw it as a vehicle to
help consolidate efforts across multiple government
organizations to increase supervision and multiply resources.
Clearly, a comprehensive multi-sectional approach is needed to
address the problem; only time will tell whether the Nuevo Leon
state government has appropriately configured its bureaucratic
resources in search of the solution. End Comment.
WILLIAMSONB